MBOMBELA – The province has a variety of great musical genres, from gospel to kwaito, house and amapiano.
A brainchild of the South African Music Award-winning muso, DJ Sdunkero, these awards have been named the Mpumalanga Music Awards, and nominations are already open.
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Mpumalanga is the only province in the country that did not have its own music awards until now, that recognise excellence in this fast-paced industry.
A number of local artists previously had to be recognised by other provinces for their musical prowess. Shisaboy, Indlovukazi, Afrotraction, Make Shela Ngubo, Pretty Mhlongo and many others have won national music awards, proving that the province is brimming with talent.
“The Mpumalanga Music Awards have solely been established to bridge that gap that existed in the province before. Many recording artists from this province, including music lovers, have long been calling for such a platform, and I am happy to announce that their calls have been heard and we now have our own awards,” said DJ Sdunkero.
These awards will be held annually and there will be activation programmes as part of a bigger picture to empower upand-coming musicians from the province. “Nominations are open and will officially close on March 25,” said DJ Sdunkero.
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Asked who the awards sponsors were, DJ Sdunkero said they had not secured any backers yet, but were in talks with the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, City of Mbombela and MTPA.
“We are in talks with our government, and we are hopeful that they will come on board just like we are witnessing in other provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal.
Honestly, without sponsorships, the awards wouldn’t be such a success,” he said. For more information, call 066 467 4289 or info@ mpumalangamusicawards.co.za
